_anq is the real homie
As with most people I've been catching up with Anjou-san since updates have resumed thanks to _anq and his efforts (rounds of applause, seriously), and I have a few things to say about Anjou-san. The first thing that I think needs to be said is, like others have been discussing, Seto isn't spineless. He keeps his head down and works because that's all he's good at. Diligent does describe him well. But I do think that he's a pussy for two reasons. The first one, obviously being that he lets Anjou push him around all that she does, even though none of it is malicious and all of it is just in good fun. Second, even though he is diligent, he still allows his classmates to walk all over him, willing to let everyone do whatever they want at his own expense. Which is where Anjou comes along, she's supposed to be his foil in that regard and help him nut up, so to speak. Which is cute and fun and all that, but there is something that I feel needs to be said about this manga: it's all so... one sided about everything. Anjou shows up and improves Seto's character, forcing him out of the classroom and just making him have fun but Seto isn't doing any of that for Anjou. Anjou isn't really getting anything out of their relationship, and I really hope that changes in the future. The key to a compelling fictional relationship is to have both character benefit from being together, and so far we haven't really seen that be the case. Nagatoro, on the other hand, does manage to do this quite well. In Nagatoro, the dynamic is very similar. Nagatoro teases Senpai and gets him out of the house and makes him have fun. She encourages him to do stuff and he becomes a more well rounded person as a result. But in Nagatoro, Senpai contributes a good deal to their relationship as well. Senpai provides a level head to her more reckless antics, the ice cream line being the key example here, and even keeps Nagatoro in a happy demeanor during their time together. Nagatoro's blind date at the restaurant, from what I understand, was meant to underline what she's like when she isn't around Senpai and is forced to interact with other boys. She's sullen, quiet, and isn't really interested in anything happening. When she's around Senpai, she's a lot more active, happy, and even has fun with her "friend." In Anjou, we haven't really seen the titular girl struggle with anything. Yeah, she skips class and whatnot but that's rarely shown as detrimental to her overall happiness or adjustment to society. She's been getting by fine so far, what would happen if she stopped hanging out with Seto for one reason or another? Seto would, more or less, relapse and just turn back into who he used to be, but Anjou would remain the same. I'm really hoping that we see how Seto improves her as a person so that she has a reason to stay other than she likes teasing him. And, obviously, I hope that Nagatoro continues to show that both Senpai and Nagatoro herself are better together than apart.
That's not to say that I don't enjoy the series, I'm liking it quite a bit. I just think that it could use some tweaks on the character front.